It was a particularly busy long weekend on the trails for District of North Vancouver firefighters and North Shore Rescue volunteers.
Our trails are an irresistible draw for locals, Lower Mainland neighbours and tourists the world over but too often they draw people who are unprepared, ill-equipped or out of shape.
It’s almost as if these folks aren’t reading the dozens of stories we publish about backcountry rescues every year. We try to ensure every story about a trail excursion gone wrong includes guidance from the rescue professionals on how the mishap could have been avoided in the first place.
Sometimes even backcountry veterans find themselves in need of help. For those occasions, we should never understate our gratitude for North Shore Rescue.
The all-volunteer team carries out upwards of 100 successful rescues a year. Each one represents a personal sacrifice of career or personal time so that someone else’s family remains whole.
New on the scene this year are trail rangers on the Grouse Grind, which we welcome.
Metro Vancouver is footing the bill for the extra level of protection as most of the injuries happen on Metro land. But if they prove to be worth their expense and the number of injuries starts to go down, we’d like to see the private Grouse Mountain resort chip in for the cost.
As a for-profit venture, Grouse is the prime beneficiary of the hundreds of thousands of grinders who huff and puff their way to the top each year.
What are your thoughts? Send us a letter via email by clicking here or post a comment below.
